A COUPLE has accused councillors of being shortsighted in a dispute over plans for a fishing business.

Karen Jones said she and her husband, Terry, feel the council is blocking their business idea by refusing them permission to house two static caravans at Clemmy Bank, Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland.

The couple have also proposed erecting a hatchery building and four rearing ponds as well as the caravans.

Mrs Jones said: "The caravans are not a long-term thing. This is temporary to give us a chance to develop the business.

"The council cannot see past the here and now. We are looking at creating something positive for the future of this area.''

Mrs Jones said the caravans were essential because the couple needed to be on hand for the hatchery 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure nothing went wrong with the equipment.

She said the need for them to live on-site had been backed by the Trout Association.

Mrs Jones said: "Should the system fail we have less than five minutes to restart the system before massive losses of stock occur.''

She disputes suggestions by the council that it would take about three minutes to get from a house in the village to access the system.

She said: "We timed ourselves coming from a friend's house, and by the time you open gates and unlock doors, it is just not possible.

"You would be looking at losing up to 10,000 fingerlings. That is a lot of stock to lose.''

Councillors were told that concerns were expressed by the Environment Agency and that Witton-le-Wear Parish Council had also spoken out against the plans.

They were told the plans were not in keeping with a conservation area and that the area concerned was on a flood plain and prone to flooding.

A report also said the application site was outside the established settlement limits to the village.